Type-writing machine



3 Sheets- Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. s. DENNIS.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE. No. 545,085. Patented July'zs,V 1595.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A S DENNIS TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

' No. 543,085. Patented July Z3, 189,5.

Il E

(No Model.) Y Ys sheets-sheet 3.

' A. S. DENNIS.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

1Y0-.543,085 y Patented July 23, 1895.

w., I wmkm. I mx PATENT Trice.

ADOLPHUS S. DENNIS, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,085, dated July 23, 1895.

Application tiled April 14, 1894- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLPHUs S. DENNIS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented an Im from one side of the machine to the other as required to avoid the hands from coming in contact with veach other in operating two levers at the same time to simultaneously printv two letters in alignment in a horizontal line upon paper on the platen or roller.

My invention consists in 'a novel arrangement and combination of alphabets, numerals, and punctuation-marks with levers, typecarrying arms, carriage moving and spacing mechanism, and ribbonholding and operating mechanism, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated `in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure v1 is a plan view showing the relative positions of the alphabets, numerals, and punctuation-marks on the keyboard and the positions ot' typebars suspended to the frame as required to be adapted toprint two letters simultaneously in align ment. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a machine, showing mechanism for operatinga type bar, mechanism for supporting and operating an hiking-ribbon, and mechanism for operating. a sliding carriage. Fig. 3 is a rear View of the ribbon supporting and ribbonmoving mechanism. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View, and Fig. 5 a corresponding horizontal sectional view of a type-bar hanger adapted to support two type-bars de tachably connected therewith by means of pointed journals and screws fitted thereto. Fig. 6 is a top View of a portion of the machine-frame, showing the spacingA mechanism connected with said frame and a sliding carriage. Fig.

serai No, 507.621. (No model.)

7 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing mechanism for operating type-bars and spacing mechanism combined. Fig. 8 is a front view of a portion of the machine, showing the rela-tive positions of different parts of the spacing mechanism. Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the pawl-bearer, showing two pawls jointly vand pivot-ally connected therewith.`

Fig. 10 is a top view of a pawl broken oft from the pawl-bearer. Fig. 11 is a top view of one of the pawls detached from the bearer. Fig. 12 isa top view, and Fig. 13 an edge View, of another paw] detached from the bearer shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 14 is an end view of the machine, showing the relative positions of the different elements shown in the other views.

The letter A is used to designate the main frame of the machine, and A2 the circular frame on its top, to which 'the typebars are connected in two distinct series and each series in asemicircle, so that one bar in each series can be operated at the same time as required to print two letters or characters simultaneously by means of keys and levers, as hereinafter set forth.

B are straight levers corresponding in number With the key-stems B2 connected with the front ends of the levers, and also corresponding in number with the type-bars Bsconnected with the circular frame A2. The two distinct series of type-bars and the two distinct series of levers connected with the typeibars are on opposite sides of the center of the circular frame A2, and may be properly termed right and left hand series, because they are adapted to be simultaneously operated by the two hands of a person.

A lower-case letter of the alphabet is fixed to key-stems B2 of levers B in the left-hand series, and a corresponding letter of the alphabet is tixed to key-stemsB2 in thev righthand series. An upper-case letter of the alphabet is also fixed to key-stems of levers in the left-hand series and numerals and punctuation-marks to key-stems of levers in the right-hand series of levers B. This arrangement of three distinct alphabets and numerals and punctuation-marks is clearly shown in Fig. l, and by means of such arrangement Yand combination of right and left hand alphabets or characters, two distinct series of ICO straightlevers, and two distinct series of typebars relative to each other and the center of the circular frame A2 two letters can be simultaneously printed by a person without moving either hand across a central line of the key board and without bringing the hands in contact with each other, a desideratum that is essential to the use ot' both hands at the same time as required to simultaneously print two letters in alignment in a line extending across a sheet of paper on the platen-roller.

The type-bars B3 are detachably connected with the circular frame A2 by means of hangers C in such a manner that they will be in two semicircles that are eccentric to each other as required to produce a distinct center for each of the right and left hand series of type-bars and to simultaneously print two letters in alignment by means of two levers B, one of which is in the right-hand series and the other in the left-hand series.

Each type-bar B3 in the right-hand series is connected with a type-lever in the righthand series, and each type-lever in the lefthand series is connected with the left-hand series of type-levers in such a manner that all the leversB in each series will be in parallel position to each other.

The hangers C are quadrangular metal frames, shaped as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and adapted to be clamped fast on top of the circular frame A2 to extend radially inward. Each hanger C is adapted in width to admit two type-bars B2.

C2 is a pointed journal fixed to a type-bar B3 and extended into a bearing in the inside face of a hanger C at one end and into a screw-threaded perforation in the other side of the hanger, and C3 is a screw that has a bearing to admit the pointed end of the journal and that is fitted and operated in the screw-threaded perforation of the hanger. A turn of said screw will effect the friction of the journals and therefore is adapted for regulating the pressure upon the ends of the journal and to compensate for Wear as required to vibrate the type-bar without deviating from a vertical plane and to maintain perfect alignment. The type-bars B3 thus journaled in pairs within the hangers C differ in length and are jointly adjusted relative to the center as required to make prints successively at the same point by adjusting the hangers relative to the frame A2, to which they are attached by means of screws C4 and washers C5, as clearly shown in Fig. 8.

F is a vertically-moving rod extended through a perforation in the plate J2and connected with the type-bar by means of parts F2, F3, and F4 as required to actuate the typebar. The lower end of the rod F has an elongated slot through which a lever B is extended. The lever has an integral spring tongue d, that normally projects out of the plane of the lever, and an integral projection d In passing the lever B through the slot in the rod F the tongue d bends inward as it goes through the rod, and the projection d arrests the further passage of the lever, and the tongue d, then resumes its normal position and prevents any backward motion of the lever. 'lhe lever is thus securely and detachably connected with the rod without any extraneous fastening device.

H is a wide fiat plate fixed to arms H2 that extend from a rock-shaft H3 that is in bearings in the frame A and connected with the vibrating pawl-bearer l-l4 by means ot' a rod H5, so that the pawl-bearer will be actuated by means of the rock-shaft ll3 to operate pawls relative to the rack carried by the sliding carriage as required in spacing.

The levers B vary in length and each one has a downward projection B4, adapted to` engage the top surface of the plate II at different points. The positions of the fulcrums of the levers B thus provided compensate for their Varying lengths as required to make the levers act uniformly in actuating the typebars and also the pawls that engage the rack.

J is a fiat plate fixed to the rear and lower portion of the frame A in a level with the levers B, so that the rear ends of said levers engage the under side of said plate at different points in such a manner that when any one of the said levers is depressed at its front end the plate H will be depressed as required to actuate the pawl-bearerand spacing mechanism in concert with the lever B.

J2 and J3 are flat plates fixed to the frame A to extend horizontally at different elevations and to serve as bearers for the perpendicular vertically-moving posts F.

K isa hanged plate pivoted in the pawlbearer H4, and K2 is a curved spring that has its ends connected with the fiangcs of the plate, as shown in Fig. 9, in such a manner that it will engage and press against pawls K3 and K4, jointly pivoted with the plate K in overlapping positions with the pawl-bearer, by means of a pin K5. The upper part of the bifurcated pawl-bearer H4 terminates in an integral pawl K3. The pawl K4 has a projection K7 extending from its edge and adapted to engage thc flange on the plate K, as shown in Fig. 8, and as required to restrict the l1orizontal motion of the pawl K3. It also has a stud K3, adapted to enter a slot K'J in the pawl K3 in such a manner that the two pawls K3 and K4 will have restricted independent horizontal motion.

K10 is a post fixed between the overlapping end portions of the pawl-bearerll4, that restricts the motions of the pivoted pawls.

A3 represents the frame of a sliding carriage mounted on top of the circular frame A2, and A4 is a rack fixed `to the carriage in such a manner as to he engaged by the pawls carried by the vibrating pawl-bearer llt.

-On striking a key to operate a lever B the Vprojection B4 presses the plate I-I downward,

as shown in Fig. 7, and by means of the rod H5 vibrates the paWLbearer, thereby drawing ICO IIO

when pressure is relaxed on thekey the pawl K4is thrown forward by the spring K2 acting upon the flanged plate K, and the pawl K3 is also returnedv to its normal position by means of the stud K6, that traverses the slot K6 in the pawl K6, and a spring H6 on the rod H5 elevates the pawl-bearer to its normal position, and the force that .moves the sliding carriage and rack carried thereby overcomes the force of the spring K2 as required to retain the pawlsin engagement with the rack.

It is obvious that the numerals and punctuation-marks will generally not be duplicated in asentence, or, in other words, printed in juxtaposition to each other in a line, and hence provision must be made for advancing the carriage a single space when a lever B is Aoperated to print a numeral or punctuation-mark. and this is effected by making the projection B4 of each lever Bconnected with a numeral or punctuation-mark shorter than on the levers B that are connected with right and left hand alphabets, as indicated by a dotted line across the bottom portion of the projection B4,

(shown in Fig. 14,).so that when it is desired to advance the carriage a single space the depression of the plate H by means ofv a lever B having a short projection B4 will be restricted, so that the pawl-bearer H4 will be vibrated only sufficiently to release thepawl K4 from the rack A4 and allow the pawl K6 to remain in engagement with the rack.

L is an elongated key-plate connected with plate H by means of levers B as required to` actuate the spacing mechanism and advance the carriage without at the same time operating a type-bar.

In order to avoid the necessity of two sets of punctuation-marks, I have constructed a device and connected it with the pawl-bearer in such a way that it can be operated by the pressure of a finger to move the carriage one space to the right and retain it stationary until the finger-pressure is relaxed, when the device will automatically reverse the motion of the carriage and move it one space to the left and into its normal position relative to the spacing mechanism for moving the carriage forward and the levers for operating the type-bars. When a right-hand key-lever is depressed it always strikes the impressionletter connected therewith two spaces tok the right of any preceding letter printed by the operation of a right-hand lever. Therefore vwhen it is necessary to punctuate after a word containing an even number of letters, or one in which the right-hand key-lever has been used for the final letter, the device to throw thecarriage to the right .one space is used.

This brings the punctuation-mark to the proper place. When a word containing an odd number of letters is-to be followed by a punctuation.- markv the final letter and ythe punctuation-mark can be printed simultaneously by depressing the levers connected with them at the same inst-ant.

To move the carriage back one space to locate a punctuation-mark at the end of a word, I have placed a rock-shaft L2 in bearings fixed to the frame A. This shaft has an arm extending horizontally at its front end and a finger-piece L3 extending vertically from the end of the arm. L4 is an arm extending upward from the rear end, and is connected, as shown in Fig. 8, with an arm R of the rockshaft L5 that has its bearings formed in or fixedgto the frame A, as shown in Fig; 6, in such a manner that a motion will be imparted to the shaft L6, and an arm L6 projecting from the top of the shaft will engage and move the sliding journal of the rocking pawl-carrier H4, and when pressure upon the key L6 is relaxed a spring L7 fixed to the frame A will cause a reverse motion of the said journal and the pawl-carrier H4, and also the carriage connected with the pawl-carrier, by means of the pawls carried by the pawl-carrier. A reciprocal motion is thus imparted to the carriage by a single finger-pressure to facilitate the work of the type-writing- M (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) is a rock-shaft in bearings M2 fixed to the plate J.

M3 is a coiled spring fixed to the shaft-M at one of its ends and to one of the bearers M2 at its other end to produce torsional pressure upon the spring M3.

M4 is a drum fixed to a shaft M5, mounted ICO in bearings fixed to the frame A, and connected with the sliding carriage by means of a tape M6.

N is an arm fixed to the rock-shaft M and connected at the top end with the shaft M5 by means of a cord N2. Then the carriage is moved rearward the drum is rotated by means of the tape M6 and'power stored in a spring concealed within the drum and the cord N2 is Wound on the shaft M5 as required to draw the arm N toward that shaft.

P are shafts mounted in bearings P? fixed on top of the plate J3, and P3 are spools fixed to the shafts P to support and operate aninking-ribbon P4, attached thereto atits ends. The shaftsA carrying the spools are connected with thearms N of the rock-shaft M in such a manner that the lateral motions of said arms will move the shafts P longitudinally and carry the ribbon on the spools along to adjust the ribbon relative to the types carried on the ends of Vthe type-bars in such a manner that a lateral motion of the ribbon will occur at each operationof each type-bar.

P6 are ribbon-supports connected with the shafts to retain the ribbon elevated in such a y manner that each type-bar will swing upward below the ribbon as required to print a characterby means of the ribbon and type on the end of the bar.

P6 are pawls pivoted tothebearers P2 to engage ratchet-wheels P7 on the shafts P as required to rotate the shafts and move the ribbon longitudinally. To reverse the ribbon, the positions of the pawls are reversed on the ratchet-wheels by hand.

Intermittent motions are imparted to the ratchet-wheels by means of the pawls carried by the bearers I)2 every timea type-bar is operated and alateral motion of the arm Noccurs.

From the foregoing description of the construction and function of each clementthe unitary actions of the different parts and the practical operation of the complete machine will be readily understood by persons familiar with the art to which the invention pertaius.

I claim as my inventionl. In a type writing machine mechanism for moving the sliding carriage backward, comprising a rock shaft in a horizontal position having an arm at its front end and a key on the outer end of the arm, an arm at the rear end of said rock shaft, a rock shaft extended at right angles to said horizontal rock-shaft and having an arm at its lower end connected with the arm on the rear end ofthe horizontal rock shaft and an arm at its top end connected with the journal of a sliding pawl carrier, a sliding pawl carrier, a spring for reversing the motion ofthe sliding pawl carrier and a sliding carriage connected with the sliding pawl carrier by means of pawls carried by the pawl carrier, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

2. In spacing mechanism for type writing machines, the combination of a bifurcated pawl bearer, a spring actuated flanged plate pivoted in the bifurcated end of the pawl bearer, a pawl adapted to engage a rack rigidly connected with the pawl bearer, a pawl having a projection on its edge to engage one of the [langes of said pivoted plate and a stud on its top face adapted to traverse a slot in an overlying pawl and a pawl having a slot to admit said stud, and the two pawls connected by means of the stud and slot, jointly pivoted with the flanged plate to the pawl bearer to engage a rack, and a rack carried by a sliding carriage to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.

3. In a type Writing machine,the arrangement and combination of a sliding carriage adapted to carry paper, a right hand series of type bars, anda lefty hand series ot' type bars, a right hand series of levers connected with the right hand series of type bars, a left hand series of levers connected with the left hand series of type bars, a right hand alphabet connected with a right hand series of levers and a left hand alphabet connected with the left hand series of levers to operate one lever of the right hand series by means of the right hand and one lever in the left hand series with the left hand simultaneously spacing mechanism, and means for moving the carriage backward and retaining it stationary by pressing upon a key and reversing the motion of the carriage by relaxing the pressure upon the key in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

Ll. In a type writing machine having two common centers and adapted to print two letters or characters sim ultancously, a set of letters or characters on the right hand side of the key board connected with type bars arranged on the right hand semicircle and a set of letters or characters on the left hand side of the key board connected with type bars arranged on the left side of the keyboard connected with type bars arranged on the left hand semi-circle of the machine and a sliding carriage adapted to carry paper, means for moving the carriage forward by pressing upon a key, and means for moving a carriage backward and retaining it stationary by pressing upon a key and reversing the motion of the carriage by relaxing that pressure, to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.

5. In a duplex type-writcradapted for printing two letters or characters simultaneously, a right hand set of letters located on the right of the center of the key board, aleft hand set of letters on the left of the center of the keyl board, levers adapted to actuate the spacing mechanism as required to advance a sliding carriage two spaces at each operation of a 1ever, mechanism to move a carriage backward one space and retaining it stationary by pressing upon a key and reversing the motion of the carriage by relaxing the pressure, spacing mechanism and a sliding carriage adapted to carry paper, arranged and combined to open ate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.

6. In a type writing machine, two sets of type bars and each set having a common and distinct focal centerfor striking the types carried thereby upon paper carried by a sliding carriage, a sliding carriage adapted to carry paper, an upper case and also a lowercase alphabet on key stems connected with the left hand set of type bars, and a lower case alphabet a series of punctuation marks, and a scries of numerals on key stems, connected with the right hand set of type bars, spacing mechanism for ad vancingthe carriage and spacing mechanism for moving the carriage backward and retain it stationary by finger pressure upon a key and advancing the carriage by relaxing that pressure, arranged and combined relative to each other as and for the purposes shown and described.

7. A duplex type writing machine comprising a right hand series of levers having key stems upon which are fixed the letters of a complete alphabet, a left hand series of levers having key stems upon which are fixed the letters of a complete alphabet, type hars connected with each series of said levers and carryin g letters or characters corresponding with the letters or characters on the key stems, and the type bars of the 'right hand series of 1evers and the type bars of the left hand series of levers arranged to strike at two distinct and contiguous centers, a sliding carriage car-v rying a platen and a rack, mechanism for engaging the rack and regulating and spacing 1o and also reversing its motion, and means for retaining and adjusting paper on the platen carried Vby the sliding carriage, all arranged and combined with a suitable frame Work to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.

ADOLPHUS S. DENNIS.

Witnesses:

J. RALPH ORWIG, THOMAS G. ORWIG. 

